title: [Effects of whole lung lavage on pulmonary function and exercise capacity in patients with pneumoconiosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of whole lung lavage (WLL) on the pulmonary function and exercise capacity in patients with pneumoconiosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one patients with pneumoconiosis who quit dust-exposed work not more than 6 months before underwent WLL. Clinical symptom assessment, pulmonary function test, and cardiopulmonary exercise test were performed before and one week after WLL, and the results were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with pneumoconiosis showed no significant changes in clinical symptoms after WLL. At one week after WLL, the patients with pneumoconiosis showed nonsignificant increases in forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0), and percent predicted FEV1 (P > 0.05); peak oxygen uptake (peak VO₂) increased from 2140.6 ± 353.2 ml/min before WLL to 2374.6 ± 362.4 ml/min after WLL, percent predicted peak VO₂ increased from 82.2 ± 13.7% before WLL to 91.0 ± 14.0% after WLL, peak VO₂/kg increased from 30.6 ± 3.5 ml/min×kg before WLL to 34.2 ± 3.7 ml/min×kg after WLL, and ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide decreased from 30.6 ± 3.1 before WLL to 26.1 ± 2.7 after WLL (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WLL can remarkably improve the oxygen uptake and ventilatory efficiency in patients with pneumoconiosis during exercise, so it can improve the exercise capacity of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, China.
authors.forename: Shao-wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Jin-ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-lan
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lu-qin
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Bian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*